The Flushing Library on Main Street in Queens Photo via
Contest tickets at
‘Pop-up’ court
BY JACOB KAYE
Justice is coming to
the Queens Public Library
in Flushing.
A neighborhood pop-up
court will appear inside
the Flushing branch of the
Queens Public Library on
June 20, the New York City
Office of Administrative
Trials and Hearings
announced on Monday.
The pop-up court will
offer Queens residents
with certain city-issued
summonses the ability to
appear in front of a hearing
officer without leaving their
home borough, the city office,
known as OATH, said. This
is month’s pop-up is the first
to be held in the immigrantheavy
Flushing area.
“Giving residents access
to the OATH courts right in
their backyard can serve as
a tremendous benefit to both
the city as it looks to resolve
backlogs of violations and
to residents by expediting
the court process,” said
Councilman Peter Koo, who
represents the district the
court will be held in.
Marisa Senigo, a deputy
commissioner at OATH, said
holding the pop-up court in
Flushing is, in part, meant
to help non-English-speaking
immigrants who may fear a
court summons.
“Having it in immigrantheavy
communities helps
them understand that they
could come and they shouldn’t
be scared,” Senigo said. “This
is a safe place to come and
they shouldn’t worry.”
Translation services will
be provided in 250 languages,
Wikimedia Commons/Jim.henderson
Senigo said.
Senigo said having the
pop-up court in the Flushing
area is also important
because “this is an area that
is difficult to get to.”
OATH’s Queens office
is located in Long Island
City, and by holding the
pop-up court in Flushing,
the office hopes to make
arguing against a city
summons more convenient
for those living in eastern
Queens neighborhoods.
Only certain summonses,
such as alleged rodent
violations, having an
open container of alcohol,
littering or public urination,
are eligible to be heard in
the one-day court. Alleged
parking, traffic, speeding or
red light camera violations
will not be heard inside the
library because the Office of
Administrative Trials and
Hearings is not the office
responsible for those cases.
Additionally, the pop-up
will only see summonses
assigned a hearing date of
June 20, 2019, or after.
On average, pop-up courts
tend to hear around 10 cases
per day, according to Senigo.
Pop-up courts were
conceived to both alleviate
the stress on the OATH offices
and to ensure that defendants
don’t have to travel far to get
their cases heard. The first
neighborhood pop-up court
was held in April 2018 in the
Bronx. Since then, 15 have
been held across the city,
three of which were held
in Queens.
Library services will not
be affected the day of the popup
court.
Bayside couple tie knot
Couple wed at nursing center where wife’s mom is a patient
The bride and groom with Jane Hartstein
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Bayside couple Nicole
Hartstein-Guida and Edward
Guida knew they wanted a
special person present when
they said “I do.”
That person happened to be
Harstein-Guida’s mother Jane
Hartstein, who is currently a
patient at the Gurwin Jewish
Nursing & Rehabilitation
Center in Commack,
Long Island.
Hartstein has been on a
ventilator following a stroke
more than three years ago and
the couple realized she could
not make the trip to their
wedding venue in New Jersey.
So they decided to bring the
festivities to her.
The couple’s relationship
began eight years ago and
Guida knew his then-fiancée
wanted her mother at
their wedding.
“I just want Nicole to
be happy, and I want her
mom to be happy, too. We
knew we wanted to do this,”
Guida said.
Prior to their official
ceremony on May 26, the
Gurwin staff decked out the
family room on the respiratory
care unit with twinkle lights, a
chuppa a canopy traditionally
used in Jewish weddings,
“Mr. & Mrs.” signs and tulle.
The staff even created a
makeshift aisle outside of the
family room.
“I can’t believe this,”
Hartstein said when she was
wheeled into the decorated
family room on the unit. “I’m
just so happy, I can’t believe
they did this.”
“I know you wanted to
be at our wedding, so we’re
bringing our wedding to
you,” Hartstein-Guida said as
mother and daughter wiped
away tears of happiness.
Staff and residents
watched as Hartstein-
Guida’s uncle James Jacobs
escorted her down the aisle
while “A Thousand Years”
by Christina Perry played in
the background.
A small group of family,
a priest and a rabbi received
the couple in the family room
as they kissed and solidified
their lifelong commitment to
each other.
“This is amazing,”
Hartstein-Guida said.
When the ceremony was
over, Hartstein sat back
and watched as attendees
congratulated the newly
married couple.
“This is the best gift anyone
could ever have given me,”
she said.
The couple then had their
official ceremony at the West
Mountain Country Club in
Woodland Park, New Jersey.
They live-streamed the
ceremony for Hartstein on her
TV at Gurwin.
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by email at jbagcal@
qns.com or by phone at (718)
224-5863 ext. 214.
TIMESLEDGER,QNS.COM JUNE 14-20, 2019 3
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